Joe Paterno's son may run for Congress

Jay Paterno (D), the son of infamous former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno,may run for Congress.

Paterno may run against Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), local Democrats tell the Patriot News.

Joe Paterno was worshipped as a hero in central Pennsylvania for much of his career. While his reputation was damaged nationally by the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal that occurred under his watch, Paterno is still beloved by many in the area. The former coach was fired in 2011 following the scandal, and died shortly thereafter.

Jay Paterno, unlike his father, is a Democrat.

The race will be an uphill battle for anyone challenging Thompson: The rural central Pennsylvania district gave Mitt Romney 57 percent of its vote in 2012.